Sheep Mountain (Beaverhead County, Montana)

Sheep Mountain
North aspect in winter
Highest point
Elevation	9,688 ft (2,953 m)[1][2]
Prominence	548 ft (167 m)[2]
Parent peak	Taylor Mountain (9,863 ft)[2]
Isolation	2.69 mi (4.33 km)[2]
Coordinates	44°34′32″N 111°44′01″W[3]
Geography
Sheep Mountain Location in Montana Show map of Montana Sheep Mountain Sheep Mountain (the United States) Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Montana
County	Beaverhead
Parent range	Rocky Mountains Bitterroot Range Centennial Mountains[1]
Topo map	USGS Upper Red Rock Lake

Sheep Mountain is a 9,688-foot elevation (2,953 m) mountain summit in Beaverhead County, Montana, United States.

Description

Sheep Mountain is the seventh-highest peak in the Centennial Mountains which are a subrange of the Bitterroot Range.[1] It is located immediately south of Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge and 2.69 miles (4.33 km) west-northwest of line parent Taylor Mountain.[1] The summit is less than two miles from the Continental Divide and the Idaho–Montana border. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains to the Red Rock Lakes and topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 3,050 feet (930 meters) above Upper Red Rock Lake in 1.2 mile (1.9 km). This landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.[3]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Sheep Mountain is located in a subarctic climate zone characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and mild summers.[4] Winter temperatures can drop below −10 °F with wind chill factors below −30 °F.

See also

• Geology of the Rocky Mountains

Gallery

• 
  Sheep Mountain from the northeast. 9593' (left), 9688' (far right)
• 
  Elk Springs Creek trickles along through the willows in winter at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge with Sheep Mountain in the background.
• 
  Taylor Mountain (left) and Sheep Mountain (right) from frozen Widgeon Pond at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
• 
  Taylor Mountain (left) and Sheep Mountain (right)

References

1. "Sheep Mountain, Montana". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
2. "Sheep Mountain – 9,688' MT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
3. "Sheep Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
4. Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11: 1633–1644. ISSN 1027-5606.